Iron Man and Captain America are two of the best superheroes created by Marvel. They played a huge role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Infinity Saga, learning what it meant to be heroes, leading members of the Avengers, and saving the world from Thanos.
Their first films are Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger, but which one of these movies is better than the other? There are five main reasons why Iron Man is better than Captain America: The First Avenger and vice versa.
10 Iron Man: More Relevant To Today's World
The majority of Captain America: The First Avenger takes place decades ago, so it's not as relevant as Iron Man when looking at the current world.
The settings, technology, and struggles in Iron Man are faithful to the current times, with the exception of the actual suit Iron Man wears, which made it a great movie back when it was released in 2008, as well as now.
9 Captain America: The First Avenger: A Fictional Take On World War II
Captain America: The First Avenger took place in the early 1940s, right in the middle of World War II. Though there are a lot of fictional elements in the movie, it also gives fans an insight into what the world was like back then.
This film was a great way for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get a better understanding of one of the darkest time periods in real life as it shows the struggles that soldiers went through as they fought for the U.S.
8 Iron Man: The Jokes Are Funnier
While Steve Rogers is very serious most of the time, Tony Stark is one of the funniest characters in the franchise. There are a lot of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that could be thought of as comedies and Iron Man is one of the best.
Those that enjoy installments of the series that will make them laugh more than ones that contain a lot of action will probably prefer Iron Man more.
7 Captain America: The First Avenger: The Action Scenes Are Better
Though there's a lot of action in Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger goes much further in this area as many of the scenes are of the titular character and his comrades fighting against their enemies.
From Captain America defeating antagonists with his shield to soldiers attacking each other using methods that were used in real life, the action in this movie is phenomenal.
6 Iron Man: The Soundtrack Is Great
The soundtrack from Iron Man is very fun to listen to. Not only was the original music great, but popular classic rock songs also appeared in the film, which made it even more memorable.
In the beginning of the movie, "Back in Black" by AC/DC plays and the instrumental of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" can be heard during the credits.
5 Captain America: The First Avenger: Red Skull Is A Better Antagonist Than Obadiah
With the exception of a few antagonists like Loki, Thanos, and Killmonger, most of the villains throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe haven't left much of an impression, especially compared to the heroes that they fight. Unfortunately, Obadiah isn't that memorable even though he played an important part in Tony's life.
However, Captain America: The First Avenger's Red Skull is a memorable villain that played a great role in the franchise, being the leader of Hydra. He even returned in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
4 Iron Man: A Great Way To Begin The Marvel Cinematic Universe
One of the reasons why the Marvel Cinematic Universe is so successful is that it was paced well, especially in Phase One. Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America were introduced before they met each other, and fans already cared a lot about them before the Avengers assembled.
Those that didn't watch all of the films leading up to the crossover were also able to enjoy the movies they did see as they were loosely connected at the time. By simply having Nick Fury appear at the end of the film and hint at the epic franchise that was about to unfold, Iron Man left a lasting impression on fans that were eager to see what would come next.
3 Captain America: The First Avenger: More Important To The Marvel Cinematic Universe
With the exception of a few protagonists being introduced in Iron Man and seeing the early development of Tony Stark, the 2008 film isn't that important in the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe. Captain America: The First Avenger, on the other hand, impacted the franchise more.
It did the same things that Iron Man did but also introduced Hydra, which would play a role in several other movies, and Peggy Carter, who would go on to have her own TV series. The ending of the movie was also a great way to set up The Avengers. Though Iron Man was a great first installment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's not as important to watch as Captain America: The First Avenger in understanding the overall story.
2 Iron Man: It Tells The Story Of How A Powerful Man Became Heroic
At the beginning of Iron Man, Tony Stark was already one of the most powerful people in the world. He was Stark Industries' CEO but many people considered him a terrible person due to how much destruction his weapons caused. Once he realized that these people were right, he decided to stop making weapons, built his iconic suit, and used it to fight the enemies that had obtained his weapons from Obadiah.
By the end of the movie, he learned that being a good person that protected people was better than a strong person that used his power just to make a profit.
1 Captain America: The First Avenger: It Tells The Story Of How A Heroic Man Became Powerful
Steve Rogers has always been very different from Tony Stark. At the beginning of Captain America: The First Avenger, he had already wanted to fight for his country but was never able to join the military until Erskine saw his potential as a super-soldier.
With his dream finally coming true, Captain America used his strength to help those in need, fight the enemies that threatened his country, and become an icon for both characters within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and real-life fans.